Baling press door structure



Oct. 8, 1935. A. s. MACKENZIE BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 /exa/za/zr 5. Make/72 Oct 8, 1935. A. s. MACKENZIE BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 8, 1935.

A. S. MACKENZIE BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 0d. 8, 1935, A, 5 MACKENZE 2,16,4

' BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 O t. 8, 1935 A. s. MACKENZIE BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 22, 1952 4 ,wpm aw, I M

Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES BALING PRESS DOOR STRUCTURE Alexander S. Mackenzie, Houston, Tex., assignor to Anderson, Clayton & Company, Houston, Tex., a joint-stock association of Texas Application July 22, 1932, Serial No. 624,085

22 Claims.

The present invention relates to baling press door structures.

The upper baling chambers of baling presses of the type used for baling cotton are usually provided with side doors and end doors, which doors are hinged either at their side edges or their bottom edges. Some form of locking means must be provided to hold the doors in baling position, which locking means must be released after the bale has been compressed and while a tremendous pressure is being exerted against the doors by the compressed material. Various arrangements of cams or eccentrics have been used to control the locking means with each of these prior art devices. A great number or" the looking arrangements used with press doors are released by moving the doors slightly inwardly against the already highly compressed material and this naturally adds to the difficulty of releasing the locking means, as well as increasing the tendency of the doors to suddenly move to open position once the locking means is released. The fact that the press doors are usually hinged at one edge thereof is also a disadvantage in that when it is desired to relieve the pressure of the doors against the bale, the door must be swung wide open to accomplish this result because of the fact that the pressure cannot be relieved over the portion of the door adjacent the hinge without entirely swinging the door away from the compressed material.

Briefly described, the apparatus of the present invention includes hinged doors, which doors may be moved rectilinearly with respect to their hinges so that the pressure existing within the compressed material may be uniformly relieved without swinging the doors to entirely open position. The doors are provided at their free ends, 1. e., the ends opposite the ends at which the hinges are positioned, with locking means. My invention includes means to release the looking means from locked position without the necessity of moving the doors inwardly against the compressed material and which means will permit the locking means to be gradually and smoothly released and without the occurrence of any sudden shock.

It will be understood from the above that the principal object of the present invention is to provide a door structure for baling presses whereby the doors may be readily released from baling position and which will counteract the tendency of the material within the baling chamber to suddenly expand at the moment when the doors are released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door structure for baling presses by which the doors may be given a slight preliminary opening movement before they are moved to fully opened position, this preliminary movement of some of the doors being in a rectilinear direction and the preliminary movement of all of the doors being limited by positive means so that the doors are entirely under the control of the operator and cannot move suddenly to fully open position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door structure wherein the preliminary opening movement of the doors will simultaneously cause them to be unlocked.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the press structure with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure l, with parts broken away, and showing one upper baling chamber and a portion of the other upper baling chamber;

Figure 3 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow X of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end view showing the left-hand end of the press shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line E-E5 of Figure 2, with the central portion of the Figure 2 showing omitted; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken on the line 7-l of Figure 3.

The numeral it designates the base of a baling press structure which is provided with tie rods H at each corner of one end thereof and a vertically extending tie rod i2 which is centrally positioned at the other end or" the base. The tie rods 9 i and it support the head #3 of the press. Cylinders It are mounted in the base i d and rams l5 slidable therein support the movable platen it of the press at their upper ends. The fixed platen ll of the press is supported by the head it in alignment with the movable platen I6. The baling chambers 58 of the press are supported upon a sleeve it which is rotatably mounted upon the tie rod 52, the chambers being diametrically oppositely positioned on the sleeve. Roller bearings 253 are positioned about the tie rod l2 and on the base ill to support the turning movement of the sleeve i 9 and the baling chambers 58 carried thereby. By this arrangement, the baling chambers 58 may be rotated on the tie rod I2 so that one of the baling chambers will be positioned in alignment with the movable platen it and the fixed platen ii, the other baling chamber 56 then resting upon a horizontally journalled roller 2! supported upon the base i ll.

Each baling chamber l8 comprises a lower bal-, ing chamber 22 and an upper baling chamber 23. The walls of the upper and lower baling chambers are formed of vertically arranged channel beams 26' and 24, respectively in the usual manner, the beams 25 forming the lower baling chamber 22 being fixed upon horizontally extending angle bars rigidly secured to brackets 25 upon the sleeve i9, angle bars 26 and 2'? being positioned adjacent the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the channel beams 2 of the lower baling chamber 22. An additional bracing structure for the channel beams 24 of the lower baling chamber 22 is provided by means of horizontally extending angle bars 27 positioned intermediate the length of the channel beams 2d. The bracing structure 2? also supports a press floor 23 about the baling chambers 58 and beneath the upper end of the lower chamber 22.

The baling chambers 53 are identical in construction and but one of them will therefore be described throughout the present specification.

Each of the upper baling chambers 23, which particularly comprise the subject of the present invention, includes side doors 29, an inner end door 39 and an outer end door 3%, each of which is formed .of relatively short vertically extending channel beams 23. The channel members 2 3 of the side doors 29 are riveted to upper and lower cross bars 35 and 35, respectively. The cross bars 35 are provided at their inner ends with horizontally arranged cylinders or sockets 31 and the lower cross bars 36 are provided at their inner ends with similar elements 38. At the outer ends of the cross bars 35 and 3B are similar cylinders or sockets 3i and 33, respectively. As is best/shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, the upper sockets 3f are longitudinally slotted at 39 on their lower surfaces and the lower sockets 38 are slotted at ie on their upper surfaces. A vertically extending hinge shaft M extends into the sockets through the slots 39 and Lid, shaft ll be ing journaled in flanges it formed integral with the sleeve iii. The ends of the shafts M within the sockets 3'3 and 38 have bifurcated members 52 fitted thereon, the legs 63 of members &2 being provided with vertically extending bores 44 into which the ends of the shaft extend.

Integral stub shafts 35 project horizontally from the bifurcated members $22 and through apertures 66 in the outer ends of the cylindrical or socket members El and 38. The extreme ends ll of the stub shafts A are reduced in diameter to form a shoulder 58 and reduced portion t? is threaded to receive a nut. A fixed cam member 49 is fitted on the stug shafts 55 between the nut and the shoulder 68, the cam member 49 also being locked to the reduced portion fill to prevent its rotation with respect to the stub shafts. Between the fixed cams (i9 and the outer surfaces of the socket members 3?, there is mounted a movable cam member to provided with a laterally extending cam arm 5i.

Referring to Figure 2, 5, and '7, it will be observed that the arms 59 of the movable cam members 56 of the upper and lower socket members 3i and 38 at the inner ends of the side doors 29 are connected by a link 52 so that the movable cam members 58 may be operated together. An outwardly projecting pin 53 is formed upon the outer surface of the link 52 and the lower end of a connecting rod 5 3 is pivotally mounted upon the pin 53 by means of a cotter pin or the like. The upper end of the connecting rod 5:1 is pivotally connected to the outer end of a crank 55 by a laterally projecting pin 56. The crank 55 is fixed to the end of a shaft bl which is journaled in lugs 58 spaced upon the upper cross bars 35 of the side doors. The outer end of'the shaft 5's has a cam operating lever be fixed thereto and a connecting rod to is pivotally secured adjacent the inner end of the operating lever 59 by a pin 6!. The lower end of the connecting rod 80 is pivoted to a link 62 which joins the cam levers 5 l movable upon the upper and lower sockets 3i 5 and 38', respectively, at the outer ends of the side doors 29.

As is best shown in Figures 2 and 6, the sockets 3'? and 38 at the outer ends of the side doors 29 are also provided with bifurcated members Q2 and fixed cams 59 similar to those already described. However, the shafts 63 and 6 1 which extend between the outer socket members 3? and 38' and through the bores M of the bifurcated members 22 therein on the opposite side doors 29 serve as the axis of a latching member 65 and as a keeper therefor, respectively. As is shown in Figures 2, 4 and 6, upper and lower latch members 85 are mounted on the shaft 63 between the legs d3 of the bifurcated members 62 and the free ends of the latch members 65 are adapted to engage the portions of the shaft 53 between the legs 43 of the bifurcated members 42 in which the shaft 65 is mounted, the cylinders 3'! and 38 having slots E55 at their outer sides to permit swinging of the latches and their engagement with the keepers 6%. It will be understood from the above that the side doors 29 are held in closed position by means of the latch members 65 at their outer ends and that, when the latch members are released, the doors may be swung outwardly upon their hinge shafts ii to the position B shown at the extreme right hand end of Figures 2 and 3.

The inner end doors 3!! of each of the upper baling chambers 23 has the channel beams 24 thereof riveted to upper and lower cross bars 66 and Bl, respectively. Cross bars 66 and 61 are provided with ears 68 (Figures 2 and 3) at each of the ends thereof, which ears are provided with longitudinal slots 69. Upwardly projecting pins H3 fitted upon the upper inner socket members 3'! of the side doors 29 project through the slots 69 in the upper cross bar 68 and downwardly projecting pins H fixed to the lower inner socket members 38 project through slot 69 of the lower cross bar 61. It will be noted from the Figure 2 showings of two positions A and B, respectively, of the inner end and side doors, that when the baling chamber is in closed position A, the pins Hi and H will be at the inner ends of the slots 69 but that outer swinging movement. of the end doors 29 to open position 13 will move the pins to the outer ends of the slots and will likewise move the inner end door 39 from the dotted line position 30' and toward the tie rod l2 so as to expand the baling chamber.

The outer end door 3| of each upper baling chamber has the channel members 24 thereof riveted to upper and lower cross members '52 and M, respectively. Ears l3 are formed at the ends of the upper and lower cross members 12 and 13, which ears are positioned behind pins 10' and H which project upwardly and downwardly, re-

spectively, from the socket members 3'! and 33 at the outer ends of the side doors 29 when the baling chamber is in the closed position A shown in both Figures 2 and 3. The outer end door 3| is somewhat longer or higher than the remaining doors of the upper baling chamber 23 and prefer- 70 ably extends down to a point beneath the baling floor 28. As is best shown in Figure 6, the lower end of the outer end door 3! is provided with an angled cross bar 14 which projects beneath cross rod 15 extending between the intermediate side bars 21." which reinforce the lower baling chamber 22:. The cross bar 14 and the, cross rod 15 thus cooperate to form a hinged support for the outer end door 3|.. Outward swinging movement of the outer end door 3| is limited by the bar 16 connecting the outer ends of the upper supporting angled bars 26 of the lower baling chamber.

In the operation of the baling press, with the side doors 29 and inner end door 30 in open position B. shown at the extreme right hand end of Figure 2 and with the outer end door 3| in the dotted line position of Figure 6, to close the upper baling chamber 23, the upper end door 3| is swung inwardly on its hinge 14, 15 and the side doors 29 are swung inwardly on the hinge shafts 4| so that the pins 10' and 1| at the outer ends of the side doors will engage behind the car 13' on the outer end door 3|. The movement of the side doors 29 to this position will, through the movement of the pins 1|! and 1| at the inner ends of the side doors 32 in the slots 69 in the inner end doors 30, move the doors 30 from the full line showing of position B to the dotted line showing 30' of position B, or, in other words, to a position corresponding to position A of Figure 2. At this time, the surfaces 49' and 50' of the cams 49 and 50 will be in the interfitting relation shown in position B of Figure 2. When the doors have been moved to the position just described, the latch levers 65 are swung inwardly against the outer end door 3| and into such a position that their latch ends may engage the latch rod or keeper 64. The cam operating levers 59 are then swung downwardly to rotate the shaft 51, which movement will be transmitted to the cam levers through the connecting rods 54 and 6|) and the links 52 and 62, causing the movable cams. 55 to move out of interfitting engagement with fixed cams 49 and to assume the position with respect to the fixed cams 49 as shown in position A of Figure 2. This movement of the cams 50 with respect to the fixed cams 49 will cause the cylinders 31, 38, 31' and 38', and hence the side doors 29, to be moved inwardly upon the bifurcated members 42 in a rectilinear direction with respect to the pivot shafts 4|. The movement of the cams at the outer ends of the side doors 29 will likewise cause the rods 63 and 64 to move outwardly or apart with respect to each other, thereby tightening the latch 65 upon the rod or keeper 64 and looking the baling chamber as shown in position A of Figure 2. The press may then be operated to compress the material into the upper baling chamber 23.

Upon the completion of the compressing operation, the cam operating levers 59 are raised, causing all of the cams 50 to be rotated with respect to the fixed cams 49 so that the surfaces 49' and 50' of the cams will interfit. This will permit the inner ends of the side doors 29 to move outwardly, the socket members 31 and 38 at the inner ends of the doors sliding upon the bifurcated members 42 and away from the hinge shafts 4|. At the outer ends of the side doors 29, the interfitting of the cam members 49 and 50, resulting from the rotation of the cam arms 5| will permit the bifurcated members 42 and the sockets 31' and 38 to move with respect to each other, causing the rod 63 and latch 65 to move slightly toward keeper rod 64 and also permitting that end of the doors 29 to move outwardly. The movement of the latch 65 and keeper 64 toward each other will permit the latch levers 65 to be readily disengaged from the keeper rod 64. The side doors 29 may then be swung open sufiiciently to release the pins and 1| at the outer ends thereof from behind the ears 13 on the outer enddoor 3| so that the latter door may be dropped; back against the cross bar 16. Continuation of the outward swinging movement of the side doors 5 32 will, through the cooperation of the pins 10 and 1| at the inner ends of the side doors 29 with the slots 69 upon the inner end door 30, cause the inner end door 39 to be moved toward the sleeve L) or from a position corresponding to the 1o dotted line 30 of position B of Figure 2 to the full line showing of position B of Figure 2.

It will be understood that the terms side doors and end doors used in the claims, as well as the other terms appearing in the claims, are used for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. The combination in a baling press, of doors pivotally mounted and having rectilinear move- 29 ment with respect to their pivots, cooperating locking elements at the free ends of the respective doors and means to move said locking elements rectilinearly with respect to each other and to move said doors rectilinearly with re- 26. spect to their pivots.

2. The combination in a baling press, of a support, side doors and end doors, pivotally mounted members carried by said support, said side doors being mounted upon said members to have rectilinear movement with respect thereto, cooperating locking means for said side doors respectively mounted on said doors at the free ends thereof, and means to effect the rectilinear movement of said doors with respect to said members and to operate said locking means.

3. The combination in a baling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, vertical pivot shafts carried by said sup-port, said pivot shafts having horizontal extensions thereon upon which said side doors are mounted, and means to move said side doors upon said horizontal extensions to lock them in bale forming position, a keeper carried at the free end of one of said side doors,

a latching member carried at the free end of the other of said side doors, and means to move said latch member and keeper with respect to each other.

i. The combination in a baling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, said side doors being pivotally mounted upon said support at one end thereof, a keeper at the free end of one of said side doors, a latching member to engage said keeper carried at the free end of the other of said side doors, and means to move said latch 5 member and keeper longitudinally with respect to each other.

5. The combination in a baling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, pivots for said side doors carried by said support and including horizontal extensions upon which said side doors are mounted, a keeper at the free end of one of said side doors, a latching member at the free end of the other of said side doors, and means to move said side doors rectilinearly upon said horizontal extensions and to move said latch member and keeper with respect to each other comprising simultaneously operated cooperating cam members.

6. The combination in a baling press, of side 9 doors and end doors, a support, a pivot for said side doors carried by said support and including horizontal extensions upon which said side doors are mounted, a keeper at the free end of one of said side doors, a locking member at the free end 3 of the other of said side doors, means to move said side doors relatively to said horizontal extensions and to move said latch member and keeper with respect to each other, one of said end doors being supported upon said side doors and operatively connected thereto so that swinging movement of said side doors will move said end door rectilinearly, a pivot for the other of said end doors carried by said support, said last named end door being held in locked position between the free ends of said side doors.

'7. The combination in a baling press, of a support, members pivoted at each side of said support, doors carried by and rectilinearly movable on said members, rectilinearly movable elements at the free end of said doors, a keeper carried by one of said elements and a latch carried by the other of said elements, and means to move said doors rectilinearly upon said pivoted members and to move said elements rectilinearly with respect to said doors.

8. The combination in a baling press, of side doors pivoted on a vertical axis, and an end door pivoted on a horizontal axis, locking means comprising cooperating locking elements for said side doors, and means to move said locking elements relatively to each other when in looking position to permit them to be substantially released and theside doors opened, and holding means for said end door carried by said side doors and positioned thereon to hold said end door in closed position until the side doors are opened.

9. The combination in a baling press, of a member mounted pivotally at one end thereof, a door mounted upon said member and means to move the door axially of said member.

10. The combination in a baling press, of a pivotally mounted member, a door mounted upon said member and means to move the door rectilinearly with respect to said member.

11. The combination in a paling press, of a pivotally mounted member, a door mounted upon said member and means to move said door relatively to said member comprising cooperating cam members operatively connected to said door and said member.

12. The combination in a baling press, of a pivotally mounted member, a door mounted upon said member and means to move said door rectilinearly with respect to said member comprising cooperating cam members operatively connected to said door and said member.

13. The combination in a baling press of side doors and end doors, a support, vertical pivot shafts carried by said support, said pivot shafts having horizontal extensions thereon upon which said side doors are mounted, and means to move said side doors relatively to said horizontal extensions to lock them in. bale forming position.

14. The combination in a baling press, of pairs of side doors and end doors, a support, pivots for one of said pairs of doors carried by said support and including horizontal extensions upon which the doors of said pair are mounted, a keeper at the free end of one of the pivoted doors, a latching member at the free end of the other pivoted door, and means to move said doors rectilinearly upon said horizontal extensions and to move said latching member and keeper with respect to each other.

15. The combination in a baling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, pivots for said side doors carried by said support and including horizontal extensions upon which said side doors are mounted, a keeper at the free end of one of said side doors, a latching member at the free end of the other of said side doors, and means to move said side doors rectilinearly upon said horizontal extensions and to move said latch member and keeper with respect to each other. 5

said end door to move rectilinearly when said side doors are turned upon their pivots.

1'7. The combination in a baling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, vertical pivot shafts carried by said support, said pivot shafts having horizontal extensions thereon upon which said side doors are mounted, and means to move said side doors rectilinearly upon said horizontal extensions to lock them in bale forming position, a keeper carried at the free end of one of said side doors, a latching member carried at the free end of the other of said side doors, and means to move said latch member and keeper with respect to each other.

- 18. The combination in a ba ling press, of side doors and end doors, a support, members vertically pivoted on said support and carrying said side doors, said side doors being mounted upon said members to have rectilinear movement with respect thereto, an end door carried by said side doors at their ends adjacent said members and connected to said side doors to move rectilinearly when said side doors are swung upon said vertically pivoted membera'and operative connections between the free ends of said side doors and the other oi said end doors to hold the latter 'door substantially in closed position during the rectilinear movement of said side doors.

19. The combination in a baling press, of op- 40 positely disposed doors, locking means for said doors comprising a pivoted latch carried by one door and a keeper carried by the other door, said latch and said keeper being mounted for rectilinear movement With respect to said doors and each other.

20. The combination in a baling press, of oppositely disposed doors, locking means for said doors comprising a pivoted latch carried by one door and a keeper carried by the other door, said latch and said keeper being mounted for rectilinear movement with respect to said doors and each other, and means to move said latch and keeper toward each other when in engaged position.

21. The combination in a baling press, or doors pivotally mounted and having rectilinear movement with respect to their pivots, cooperating locking elements at the free ends of the doors and simultaneously operable means to move said 0 looking elements rectilinearly with respect to each other and to move said doors rectilinearly with respect to their pivots.

22. The combination in a baling press, of a support, side doorsand end doors, pivotally 5 mounted members carried by said support, said side doors being mounted upon said members to have rectilinear movement with respect thereto, cooperating locking means for said side doors respectively mounted on said doors at the free ends thereof, and simultaneously operable means to effect the rectilinear movement of said doors with respect to said members and to operate said locking means.

ALEXANDER S. MACKENZIE. 76 

